Meridian Source - June 29, 2023

Eco9 turns fryer grease into liquid gold

Students in E.S. Laird Middle School’s Eco9 program turned up the heat on renewable energy education as they wrapped their year learning how biodiesel is made.

In following the yearlong program’s model of hands-on learning, students actually had the opportunity to produce a product that would power their school buses, trucks and tractors.

Last week’s lab was made possible thanks to a $5,000 A+ for Energy Grant from Inside Education and a partnership with a local fast food spot.

“We’re doing a science lab making biodiesel with funds I received last year through Inside Education to learn about energy and how energy is used, particularly in the West,” said one of the program’s teach -

ers Shaun Donald last Thursday morning.

“The $5,000 grant allowed me to buy all of the equipment so we could do a couple of different steps to make biodiesel here at the school.”

Donald also explained the oil used in the lab was sourced through Lloydminster’s KFC location.

“We’ll be putting the oil through a bunch of different chemical processes and the end product will be biodiesel that can go right into a school bus, a tractor, a truck, etc.”

According to Donald, inspiration for the lab came after he took his students to Alberta Envirothon at Lakeland College’s Vermilion campus last year.

“I was looking at different labs and a couple of instructors there did a lesson on creating biodiesel,” he said.

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Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Students in E.S. Laird Middle School’s Eco9 program put old KFC fryer oil through the ringer last week as they learned how biodiesel is produced.

TAYLOR WEAVER EDITOR ..................................